SERIES  12 


NUMBER  11 


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Agtt^s  %>wtt  Cullpg?  Bulletin 

THE  STORY  OF 

AGNES  SCOTT  COLLEGE 

-JL'M  V  ;i  X  IT' 

JUL..9  JS1F. 


DECEMBER,  1915 


Issued  Quarterly  Agnes  Scott  College,  Decatur,  Georgia 


Entered  as  Second-Class  Matter  at  the  Post  Office,  Decatur,  Georgia 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


J.  K.  Orr,  Chairman 
F.  H.  Gaines  .  .  . 

C.  M.  Candler  .  . 

J.  G.  Patton  .  .  . 
George  B.  Scott  . 
W.  S.  Kendrick  .  , 
John  J.  Eagan  .  . 
L.  C.  Mandeville  . 

D.  H.  Ogden  .  .  . 

K.  G.  Matheson  .  . 
J.  T.  Lupton  .  .  . 
J.  P.  McCallie  .  . 
W.  C.  Vereen  .  . 

L.  M.  Hooper  .  .  . 
J.  S.  Lyons  .  .  .  . 
Frank  M.  Inman  . 


. Atlanta 

. Decatur 

. Decatur 

. Decatur 

. Decatur 

. Atlanta 

.  .  .  .  .  Atlanta 
.  .  Carrollton,  Ga. 

. Atlanta 

•.  .  .  .  .  Atlanta 
Chattanooga,  Tenn. 
Chattanooga,  Tenn. 
.  .  Moultrie,  Ga. 
.  .  .  Selma,  Ala. 
.  .  .  ■  .  .  Atlanta 
. Atlanta 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/storyofagnesscotOOunse 


Agttps  ^rott  (ftnUrgr  lullrtitt 


Series  12  DECATUR,  GEORGIA,  DECEMBER,  1915  Number  11 

ENTERED  AS  SECOND-CLASS  MATTER  AT  THE  POSTOFFICE,  DECATUR.  GEORGIA 


The  Story  of  Agnes  Scott  College 

There  are  three  great  Epochs  in  the  history  of  the  institu¬ 
tion  indicated  by  the  three  names  it  has  borne. 

I.  DECATUR  FEMALE  SEMINARY. 

II.  AGNES  SCOTT  INSTITUTE. 

III.  AGNES  SCOTT  COLLEGE. 

I. 

DECATUR  FEMALE  SEMINARY. 

This  was  the  name  under  which  the  institution  was  origi¬ 
nally  chartered  August  27,  1889.  Under  this  name  three 
things  are  specially  worthy  of  note: — 

1.  The  Beginning.  The  institution  had  its  inception  in 
prayer  and  faith.  Its  promoters  were  members  of  the  Deca¬ 
tur  Presbyterian  Church  and  congregation.  It  wag  dis¬ 
tinctly  a  Christian  enterprise. 

2.  The  Grade  of  the  School.  It  was  an  elementary  and 
grammar  school.  It  had  two  teachers  in  the  literary  depart¬ 
ment,  Miss  Nannette  Hopkins,  Principal,  and  Miss  Mattie  E. 
Cook,  Assistant,  one  teacher  of  Music,  and  one  of  Art  and 
Calisthenics. 

3.  Financial  Resources.  The  institution  began  its  work 
in  a  rented  building.  Its  total  financial  resources  consisted 
of  a  subscription  of  $5,000.00.  Decatur  was  a  town  of  only 
about  one  thousand  (1,000)  population,  and  the  Presbyterian 
Church  had  something  over  two  hundred  (200)  members. 


The  community  was  not  wealthy.  Only  one  man  in  it  was 
considered  rich  by  comparison. 

There  was  absolutely  no  interest  in  Christian  education, 
either  in  Decatur  or  Atlanta,  six  miles  distant,  or  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Georgia.  The  new  enterprise  was 
the  only  effort  for  Christian  education  under  Presbyterian 
auspices  in  the  State.  This  new  enterprise  must  win  its 
way,  must  create  public  sentiment,  must  justify  its  existence. 
Would  it  fail  as  many  other  such  experiments  had  begun 
under  apparently  more  promising  conditions? 

AGNES  SCOTT  INSTITUTE. 

On  petition  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  the  Charter  of  De¬ 
catur  Female  Seminary  was  amended,  November,  1890,  by 
changing  the  name  to  Agnes  Scott  Institute.  This  marks 
the  second  great  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  institution.  The 
following  are  some  of  the  crucial  events  of  this  period: 

1.  The  Gift  of  Col.  George  W.  Scott.  Col.  Scott  was 
the  largest  subscriber  to  the  original  fund  of  $5,000.00  re¬ 
ferred  to  above,  and  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  opening  the 
Seminary.  He  had  watched  its  progress  with  keen  interest 
and  saw  its  possibilities.  In  the  spring  of  1890  he  said  to 
his  pastor,  “The  Lord  has  prospered  me  in  my  business  and 
I  don’t  want  it  to  harden  my  heart.  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to  give  $40,000.00  to  provide  a  home  for  this  school”. 
With  him  to  resolve  was  to  act.  He  proceeded  at  once  to 
carry  into  effect  his  plan.  He  purchased  the  land,  erected 
and  equipped  the  present  Main  Building  at  a  total  cost  of 
$112,500.00.  For  this  property  he  made  a  deed  of  gift  to 
the  Board  of  Trustees  at  its  dedication,  November,  1891. 
Up  to  this  time  this  was  the  largest  gift  to  the  cause  of 
education  made  by  an  individual  in  the  history  of  Georgia. 
Truly  it  was  an  epoch  making  gift.  It  not  only  transformed 
the  outlook  for  the  school,  but  its  effect  on  Christian  educa¬ 
tion  in  the  State  was  very  great.  In  accordance  with  Col. 
Scott’s  wishes  the  Board  of  Trustees  applied  for  an  amend¬ 
ment  to  the  Charter  changing  the  name  of  the  institution  to 
Agnes  Scott  Institute  in  memory  of  his  sainted  mother.  The 


4 


institution  thus  became  the  loving  tribute  of  a  generous  and 
noble  son  to  his  mother.  It,  therefore,  bears  witness  to  the 
power  and  far  reaching  influence  of  motherhood.  Who  can 
measure  the  importance  of  the  work  of  the  institution  if  it 
can  train  mothers  of  such  sons ! 

2.  The  Agnes  Scott  Ideal.  Money  is  necessary  to  make  a 
college.  But  to  make  it  at  all  worth  while  something  more  is 
necessary.  It  must  he  used  according  to  a  wise  plan.  There  must 
be  a  great  dominating  purpose  and  certain  guiding  prin¬ 
ciples  which  shall  direct  and  control  in  its  development.  Such 
considerations  led  very  early  to  “The  Agnes  Scott  Ideal” 
which  was  issued  as  a  booklet  in  1892  and  published  in  the 
annual  Catalogue  for  several  years.  Here  it  is: 

1.  A  liberal  curriculum,  fully  abreast  of  the  best  institu¬ 
tions  of  the  land. 

2.  A  sound  curriculum  with  text-books  along  all  lines  in 
harmony  with  the  Bible. 

3.  The  Bible  a  text-book.  The  Bible  course  necessary  to 
graduation. 

4.  Thoroughly  qualified  and  consecrated  teachers. 

5.  A  high  standard  of  scholarship. 

6.  The  Institution  a  model  Christian  home. 

7.  All  the  influences  in  the  school  to  be  made  conducive 
to  the  formation  and  development  of  Christian  character. 

It  will  be  noted  that  this  Ideal  contemplated  four  things: 

( 1 )  A  College. 

(2)  A  High  Standard. 

(3)  Christian  Character. 

(4)  The  Glory  of  God. 

The  glory  of  God  was  the  dominating  purpose,  every¬ 
thing  else  contributory. 

3.  The  Process  of  Development.  From  an  elementary 
and  grammar  school  to  a  college,  a  real  college,  was  a  long 
and  difficult  road.  Our  plan  was  gradually  to  cut  off  the 


5 


lower  grades  and  add  higher.  This  process  continued  for 
years  until  elementary  and  grammar  school  work  had  been 
dropped  and  the  Institute  attained  the  grade  of  a  college- 
preparatory  school.  During  this  process  of  development 
there  was  constant  anxiety  as  to  the  effect  this  development 
would  have  upon  the  attendance.  We  had  no  endowment  and 
so  were  dependent  upon  students  for  our  very  existence. 

'W  ctad  to  this  difficulty  we  had  set  a  high  standard  and 
were  determined  at  all  hazards  to  maintain  it.  No  wonder 
we  had  recurring  deficiencies.  But  for  our  noble  benefactor, 
Col.  Scott,  it  is  doubtful  whether  or  not  the  institution  could 
have  survived  this  trying  period.  In  twelve  years  he  paid  $30,- 
000.00  in  deficiencies  and  also  gave  to  the  school  his  moral 
support  and  counsel.  He  was  an  optimist  and  also  a  man 
of  great  courage  and  resources.  Many  were  the  times  when 
his  cheering  words  and  strong  support  were  a  strong  tonic 
amid  great  discouragements. 

Another  of  the  great  problems  of  these  early  years  was 
to  gain  recognition.  We  had  great  difficulty  in  winning 
recognition  from  Atlanta.  Decatur  was  a  small  suburban 
town.  Was  it  possible  it  had  anything  worthy  of  the  con¬ 
sideration  of  a  city  like  Atlanta?  Besides  there  was  no 
very  great  interest  at  that  time  in  education,  less  in  Chris¬ 
tian  education,  and  still  less  in  a  school  for  girls.  We  felt 
that  Atlanta  must  be  won,  but  it  took  years  to  do  so.  Then 
there  was  the  constant  fight  for  wider  recognition  throughout 
the  State  and  the  country.  There  was,  however,  a  recog¬ 
nition  apart  from  publicity  and  co-operation  we  very 
much  desired,  namely,  the  recognition  of  our  standard  and 
our  work.  The  Institute  now  had  a  college-preparatory 
course  and  a  capable  faculty.  It  applied  to  the  Eastern  Col¬ 
leges  for  women  for  certificate  privileges.  At  that  time  they 
seemed  to  think  no  good  thing  in  education  could  come  out 
of  the  South  and  only  after  persistent  effort  could  we  gain 
recognition.  How  proud  we  were  when  finally  the  Institute 
was  placed  on  the  accredited  list  of  some  of  the  leading 
colleges ! 

On  October  3,  1903,  Col.  Scott  passed  away.  His  death 
was  felt  to  be  an  unspeakable  loss  to  the  Institute.  But  his 


6 


influence,  his  prayers,  his  generosity,  and  his  work  had  done 
much  to  place  the  Institute  in  a  position  for  continued  growth. 

On  October  13th  the  Board  of  Trustees  unanimously 
elected  Mr.  S.  M,  Inman  Chairman  of  the  Board  as  Col. 
Scott’s  successor.  To  some  of  us  it  has  always  seemed  that 
God  raised  up  Mr.  Inman  for  such  a  place  and  time  as  this. 
In  many  ways  he  and  Col.  Scott  were  kindred  spirits.  Both 
were  able  men,  both  modest,  gentle,  devoted  Christians,  pub¬ 
lic  spirited,  generous,  both  were  wise  leaders,  and  both  com¬ 
manded  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew  them.  Mr.  Inman 
accepted  the  position  with  some  hesitation,  but  threw  himself 
heart  and  soul  into  the  work  of  developing  the  institution. 
He  expressed  the  earnest  desire  that  his  Chairmanship  should 
result  in  the  growth  and  strengthening  of  the  institution, 
and  in  this  he  must  have  felt  abundantly  gratified. 

Up  to  this  time  the  institution  was  doing  college-prepara¬ 
tory  work  and  probably  two  years  or  more  of  College  work. 
Its  growth  had  been  steady  and  marked,  but  its  goal  was  a 
College  and  this  ambition  had  not  yet  been  attained.  But 
the  attainment  was  not  long  postponed.  By  1905  the  final 
plans  were  made  for  the  institution  to  apply  for  an  amend¬ 
ment  to  its  charter  changing  the  name  from  Agnes  Scott  In¬ 
stitute  to  Agnes  Scott  College.  This  amendment  was  granted 
in  March  1906,  and  the  institution  entered  upon  the  third 
period  of  its  career. 

III. 

AGNES  SCOTT  COLLEGE. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  leading  events  of  this 
period  so  far: 

1.  Careful  compliance  with  every  requirement  of  a  real 
college. 

The  preparatory  work  was  organized  as  Agnes  Scott  Acad¬ 
emy  with  separate  Principal  and  faculty.  The  Academy 
and  College  were  conducted  as  distinct  institutions.  The 
College  curriculum  was  revised,  equipment  added,  and  en¬ 
trance  requirements  fixed  at  fifteen  (15)  units.  One  of  the 


7 


features  of  our  Ideal  was  a  high  standard  and  it  must  be 
maintained  as  a  College  as  it  had  been  as  an  Institute.  Noth¬ 
ing  must  be  left  undone  to  comply  with  the  standard  of  a 
College. 

2.  The  fight  for  recognition .  The  struggle  for  recog¬ 
nition  had  to  be  made  again.  Now  it  was  for  recognition  as 
a  college.  It  was  one  thing  for  the  institution  to  call  itself 
a  college.  We  felt  it  to  be  quite  another  thing  for  it  to  be 
recognized  in  the  best  educational  circles  and  by  the  highest 
standardizing  agencies.  For  two  years  we  had  our  applica¬ 
tion  before  “The  Association  of  Colleges  and  Preparatory 
Schools  of  the  Southern  States”  before  the  College  was  en¬ 
rolled  as  a  member.  This  was  a  recognition  by  an  Asso¬ 
ciation  which  stood  for  standards  and  was  gratifying.  A 
little  later  our  B.  A.  degree  was  recognized  by  Columbia 
University  by  admitting  our  graduates  as  candidates  for  the 
M.  A.  degree  without  examination.  And  a  little  later  still 
the  Specialist  in  Higher  Education  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Education  placed  Agnes  Scott  in  “Group  1“  of 
colleges  for  women  in  the  United  States.  It  was  and  is 
one  of  twelve  colleges  for  women  included  in  this  “Group”. 
It  is  true  that  it,  and  a  few  others  in  the  “Group”  are  starred 
(*),  indicating  that  the  upper  third  of  the  graduating  class 
could  take  the  M.  A.  degree  in  one  year  in  one  of  the  great 
graduate  schools.  And  yet  the  fact  remains  that  it  is  one 
of  two  colleges  for  women  South  of  Baltimore  in  the  “Group” 
even  with  the  star.  The  College  has,  therefore,  had  the  very 
highest  recognition  as  a  college. 

3.  The  Campaign  of  1909.  This  was  a  campaign  to  raise 
$350,000.00.  Of  this  sum  the  General  Education  Board  of 
New  York  offered  $100,000.00  on  two  conditions  (1)  That 
the  College  raise  an  additional  $250,000.00.  (2)  That  $175,- 
000.00  be  set  apart  for  permanent  endowment.  The  Board 
of  Trustees  at  once  began  an  organized  effort  to  comply  with 
the  first  condition,  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  S.  M.  Inman 
and  Mr.  J.  K.  Orr.  Mr.  Inman’s  was  the  first  and  largest 
subscription,  $50,000.00.  Mr.  Carnegie  offered  to  give  $25,- 
000.00  for  a  library.  Col.  It.  J.  Lowry  of  Atlanta  sub- 


8 


scribed  $25,000.00.  This  left  $150,000.00  to  be  raised.  This 
was  accomplished  in  a  brief  campaign  in  Atlanta  and  Decatur 
under  direction  of  Messrs.  Inman  and  Orr.  Great  was  the 
rejoicing  by  the  faculty,  students  and  friends  of  the  College 
when  the  victory  was  won.  This  achievement  placed  the  Col¬ 
lege  upon  a  new  high  plane.  It  added  several  acres  to  the 
campus,  three  new  brick  buildings  and  seven  frame  buildings. 
It  gave  the  College  an  endowment  of  $175,000.00  and  ad¬ 
ditional  equipment.  It  added  greatly  to  the  capacity,  efficiency 
and  standing  of  the  College.  Truly  it  was  a  long  step  for¬ 
ward. 

Just  here  it  is  a  privilege  and  pleasure  to  pay  a  deserved 
tribute  to  Mr.  S.  M.  Inman.  He  was  a  man  of  the  highest 
character,  of  fine  business  ability,  a  wise  counsellor,  and  a 
man  who  sought  to  use  his  influence,  his  ability  and  his 
wealth  for  the  glory  of  God.  The  service  he  rendered  the 
College  can  scarcely  be  estimated.  He  came  into  the  Chair¬ 
manship  of  the  Board  at  a  critical  time  and  by  his  wise 
leadership,  influence,  and  generosity  left  it  upon  a  very  much 
larger  and  firmer  basis.  He  believed  sincerely  in  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  the  work  the  college  is  doing.  In  one  of  the  many 
interviews  the  writer  had  with  him  the  conversation  turned 
on  the  value  of  the  College  to  the  advancement  of  the  King¬ 
dom  of  God.  He  made  a  statement  to  this  effect:  “The 
Church  has  been  engaged  for  centuries  in  the  effort  to  evan¬ 
gelize  the  world.  I  have  sometimes  thought  the  progress 
would  be  very  much  more  pronounced  if  woman  could  be 
brought  into  more  active  and  larger  co-operation.”  More 
than  once  I  have  heard  him  make  the  statement  that  he  did 
not  see  why  the  Christian  College  for  women  was  not  as  im¬ 
portant  and  did  not  promise  as  large  usefulness  as  the 
college  for  men. 

4.  The  Discontinuance  of  Agnes  Scott  Academy.  By  ac 
tion  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  the  Academy  was  discontinued 
May,  1913.  For  five  years  it  had  been  conducted  on  the 
College  campus  as  a  separate  institution.  Its  discontinuance 
removed  the  last  remnant  of  Preparatory  work  from  the 
campus.  The  College  now  stood  alone.  It  had  attained 
the  end  toward  which  it  had  been  working  for  many  years. 


9 


5.  The  Celebration  of  the  Quarto-Centennial.  In  May, 

1914,  the  institution  rounded  out  twenty-five  (25)  years  of  its 
history.  It  was  decided  the  occasion  called  for  a  somewhat 
elaborate  celebration.  Under  the  efficient  direction  of  Misses 
McKinney,  Markley,  and  Mrs.  Parry,  of  the  faculty,  a  histori¬ 
cal  pageant  was  organized  and  trained,  illustrating  the  history 
of  education  in  Georgia  and  the  departments  of  the  College. 
This  was  most  successfully  given  during  Commencement  Week 
to  an  audience  estimated  at  twenty-five  hundred  (2500). 
The  next  day  in  the  college  chapel  the  Anniversary 
celebration  proper  was  observed.  There  were  present  repre¬ 
sentatives  from  many  of  the  leading  Colleges  and  Universi¬ 
ties  of  America.  All  marched  with  the  faculty  in  Academic 
procession  into  the  Chapel  where  an  able  historical  address 
was  delivered  by  Hon.  C.  M.  Candler,  and  greetings  brought 
to  the  College  by  Chancellor  Barrow  of  the  University  of 
Georgia,  Chancellor  Kirkland  of  Vanderbilt,  Dr.  Martin  of 
Randolph-Macon  Woman’s  College,  Dean  Lord  of  Goucher, 
and  Miss  Laura  Drake  Gill  representing  the  Collegiate  Alum¬ 
nae.  The  celebration  was  closed  by  an  address  in  the  even¬ 
ing  in  the  Atlanta  Theatre  by  Hon.  Thomas  R.  Marshall, 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

Before  Mr.  Inman’s  death  which  occurred  January  12, 

1915,  he  had  offered  to  give  to  the  College  $25,000.00  toward 
the  payment  of  its  indebtedness  on  condition  that  the  friends 
of  the  College  should  raise  a  similar  amount.  This  con¬ 
dition  was  met  and  thus  nearly  all  the  indebtedness  of 
the  College  was  provided  for. 

Mr.  J.  K.  Orr,  of  Atlanta,  was  unanimously  elected  Chair¬ 
man  of  the  Board  to  succeed  Mr.  Inman.  Mr.  Orr  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Board  for  several  years  and  was  one  of 
the  leaders  in  the  campaign  of  1909.  He  is  a  Christian 
gentleman  of  the  highest  type  and  a  recognized  leader.  The 
College  is  exceedingly  fortunate  in  having  such  a  man  as 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

The  record  for  twenty-five  years  is  most  interesting — what 
it  was  then — what  it  is  now. 

In  1889  the  school  was  of  elementary  and  grammar  grade. 


10 


To-day  it  is  a  College  classed  in  “Group  I”  by  the  highest 
educational  authority. 

In  1889  there  were  two  teachers  in  the  literary  depart¬ 
ment,  four  in  all. 

Now  there  are  twenty-four  college  professors,  and  ten 
other  teachers  and  officers. 

Then  the  school  occupied  a  rented  building. 

Now' it  has  a  campus  of  eighteen  acres,  twelve  buildings 
on  it  and  seven  others  adjoining  the  campus. 

Then  our  only  asset  was  a  subscription  list  aggregating 
$5,000.00. 

Now  the  assets  of  the  College  are  nearly  $700,000.00. 

Then  the  institution  was  practically  unknown  outside  of 
Decatur. 

Now  it  is  known  throughout  the  country. 

Then  it  had  its  reputation  to  make. 

Now  it  is  esteemed  most  highly  for  its  high  standard  by 
thousands. 

Then  it  had  an  enrollment  for  first  session  of  sixty-three 
students  of  elementary  and  grammar  grade. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  institution  several  thousand  have 
attended  it  for  a  shorter  or  longer  time.  Of  this  number 
only  two  hundred  and  fifty  (250)  have  received  diplomas, 
an  evidence  of  its  high  standard.  The  enrollment  for  the 
current  session  will  exceed  three  hundred  (300). 

The  above  is  a  very  brief  and  imperfect  outline  of  the 
history  of  Agnes  Scott.  Only  the  Lord  can  tell  the  influence 
it  has  exerted  upon  the  characters  and  lives  of  its  students, 
and  through  them  upon  homes,  communities,  and  the  world. 

Let  no  one  suppose,  however,  for  a  moment  that  the  col¬ 
lege  has  attained  its  goal  and  needs  nothing.  True  it  has 
an  excellent  plant  and  equipment,  an  able  faculty,  and  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  very  best  colleges,  yet  it  counts  not 
itself  to  have  attained  the  full  measure  of  its  usefulness.  It 


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has  still  many  needs.  Most  of  all  is  the  need  of  endowment. 
Its  present  endowment  is  entirely  inadequate.  To  meet  this 
need  the  Board  of  Trustees  has  inaugurated  a  movement  to 
add  a  half  million  to  its  endowment.  In  this  eiFort  the  co¬ 
operation  of  all  the  friends  of  the  college  is  earnestly  de¬ 
sired.  Inquiries  concerning  this  movement  are  invited.  Ad¬ 
dress  the  President. 


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